A number of years ago when my youngest daughter was about 8 or 9 years old, she looked at me one day and said...
Mommy, I have a very active mind, and if I have too much time to think I start to worry.
Woah. Somehow she articulated pretty perfectly a profound truth of how many of us go through life feeling.
As "Owners of Active Minds," as I like to call it since my daughter put such amazing words to it, we can have an innate tendency to overanalyze, anticipate, read into, and just plain worry.
Watching her grow up and working with so many different clients in therapy, I realize there is a certain personality type that can relate to what this feels like...
- I have an active mind
- I think deeply
- I overanalyze everything
- I start to worry
- I get caught in anxiety spirals
- I notice everything
- I need time alone because social interaction can overwhelm me
- I feel things deeply and intensely
- I can anticipate what's coming before it happens
On the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) this usually shows up as the personality type INFJ.
"People with INFJ preferences are supportive companions and devoted helpers. They believe in a moral code that puts people first; as a result, they tend to focus on finding or creating harmony. They?re often looking for a deeper meaning or purpose in life. They need to see the greater good in a plan or project to really get invested in it. But once they find that, they?re innovative thinkers motivated by their vision of a better future for everyone involved." (mbtionline.com)
Sounds pretty great, right? There's a lot of upside that comes with that active mind...
- Supportive
- Devoted
- Caring
- Harmonious
- Deep
- Purposeful
- Innovative
- Insightful
- Altruistic
- Creative
- Visionary
- Future oriented
?????????????Your active mind is your greatest strength. But all of our greatest strengths have a corresponding weakness, and the unfortunate downside to an active mind can be a tendency towards pervasive worry and high anxiety.
For whatever reason, I tend to have a lot of INFJs show up in my practice... probably because I get you!
And I love the journey of helping this unique personality type preserve the very best of all the positive qualities that come with it...
- Intuition
- Compassion
- Dedication
- Loyalty
- Drive
- Conscientiousness
- Spirituality
- Commitment
- Passion
While finding ways to adapt the extremely high sensitivity that's so innate in us and that can make us anxiety prone, overwhelmed by emotion, and overly hard on ourselves.
It is possible to have an active mind that can easily start to spiral into worry, anxiety, and overwhelm, and also not struggle with anxiety. Your active mind is actually your greatest asset for overcoming anxiety. It's just a matter of learning to leverage it as a strength.